The adoptive mother of ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who died suddenly at age 29 last week, died less than 24 hours later of an unrelated illness. Elaine DePrince died on 11 September during “a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery”, according to a statement from family spokesperson Jess Volinski. She was 77.
“The last few days have been even more difficult than most people realize because the family has also been dealing with the death of Michaela’s adoptive mother Elaine DePrince,” Volinski wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Michaela’s death, on 10 September, was announced on 13 September. No cause has been revealed. A day later, the family revealed that Elaine, who adopted Michaela at the age of four from Sierra Leone, died without knowledge of her daughter’s death the day prior.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated,” said Volinski. “The only way we can make sense of the senseless is that Elaine, who had already lost three children many years ago, was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child.”